Objective:
Project Title 1 - Uniform Fungicide Tests for Control of Fusarium Head Blight in Illinois: The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of fungicides across multiple locations in Illinois for their effects on Fusarium head blight (FHB) control and their ability to reduce deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in harvested soft red winter wheat grain.
Project Title 2 - Integrated Management Strategies for Scab in Illinois: The objectives of the proposed study are: 1) demonstrate that integrated management is the most effective and economical means of reducing losses to FHB/DON; and 2) increase grower adoption of integrated strategies to control FHB.
Project Title 3 - Within-Field Inoculum from Corn Debris and the Management of FHB/DON: Our experimental objective is to quantify the relative contribution of within-field corn debris as an inoculums source of Gibberella zeae for Fusarium head blight and DON contamination in 20 variable wheat or barley environments over two years, all in regions where corn is the predominant crop in the agricultural landscape and corn debris is left on the land surface over large areas.
Project Title 4 - Fungicide x Variety Interaction Experiment: The objective of this experiment is to examine the effectiveness of genetic resistance and fungicide application singly and in combination in reducing FHB symptoms, FDK and DON under heavy disease pressure.

Approach:
Project Title 1: Trials will include the uniform fungicide treatments that will be evaluated in similar studies across multiple states. This proposal addresses priority numbers 2 and 3 of the USWBSI’s FHB Management Research Area Action Plan: 2.) Enhance communication and end user education/outreach; and 3.) Develop the next generation of management tools for FHB/DON control. Funds provided through the USWBSI will be used to leverage additional support from agrichemical companies that will allow testing of additional fungicides, rates, and/or application timings beyond those in the uniform fungicide trials.
Project Title 2: Trials will be initiated at two locations at university research farms in Illinois (Urbana and Carbondale). At each location, the effects of previous crop (soybean or corn), fungicide, and wheat cultivar (cultivars ranging in susceptibility to FHB) will be evaluated for their effects on FHB and deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in harvested grain.
Project Title 3: Building on techniques perfected in New York and Virginia in 2007-2008, we will use a marked (AFLP) isolate, release-recapture experimental approach to assess relative contribution of localized clonal inocula to infection of cereal heads at the source and at more than 100 feet from the source in commercial wheat and barley fields otherwise lacking corn or cereal debris. We expect that concentrated clonal inoculum may overestimate the contribution of local inoculum to FHB and DON, so we are also employing replicated microplots in each experimental field with naturally overwintered corn debris collected from sources close to those same wheat and barley fields. The research will be conducted in two commercial-scale wheat or barley fields per season in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, and Virginia. All field sites are in regions with considerable acreage of over-wintered corn residues nearby. Specifically we will (1) elucidate the contribution of local inoculum sources to the temporal and spatial development of FHB epidemics, and this knowledge will, in turn, (2) help refine models for FHB risk assessment.
Project Title 4: We will grow this experiment in our mist-irrigated, inoculated nursery so that the level of disease pressure should be severe. The three treatments applied to all of the varieties will be: no fungicide, Folicur® (tebuconazole), and Prosaro® (prothioconazole + tebuconazole). We will also place buffer plots between fungicide treatments and thus further minimize undesirable effects due to spray drift. Six FHB susceptible varieties and six FHB resistant varieties or breeding lines will be included in the experiment. The experiment will have four replications. The plots will be managed for high yield potential.